Bookworm Gladiator

"There are a few ways that men can react to loss. Some bury it deep, like a memory long faded, who's to ask what happened and why it happened? Oh, mitte! I suffer from such foolishness. Furies plague the corner of my vision every day, crying for the memories I've buried deep in my heart. I wish I could be like the men who take loss and wear it as a standard, raising it high above their ranks to rally others like them to whatever heat-induced political idea they've mustered from their fish-paste brains. There are many senators in Rome who use their perceived suffering and slights as commentary on the state of the republic, or what's left of it.

But occasionally, we'll have a third kind of man. A beast that doesn't fully understand the pain or loss, and truly, tries little to make sense of it. This man will burn down everything around him if given the chance. He will tear his enemies limb from limb, and shout the name of his beloved from atop the Rock of Ares.

I always thought this kind of man existed only in stories; dreamt up by bards and chroniclers of old Greek bed-time stories. But I believe I've finally seen one such beast. A Persian of all things - Baba Haza.

The bout with Ghassan has revealed several aspects of Haza and some realities of the twelve abilities I've drawn up. I never expected Haza to come back with such fury, as if Layla had just been killed moments before the first horn. He never relented in his aggression. I could tell from the beginning that the rage was countering Ghassan's perception- which I'd correctly rated low. And the best way to counter aggression is perception: the ability to use intuition to properly capture the opponent's unpredictability.

But his reach, as capable as it was, could not overcome Ghassan's form; the preparation of one's frame in every second of engagement.

And then Haza surprised me with his increased strength; I can still hear the powerful clang of his sword on Ghassan's shield in the back of my mind, as if the echoes of the clash are still ringing through the streets of Palmyra. Somewhere.

This is only further supported by his ability to pull the Arab to the ground and beat on him, the way Hurek had beat on Haza in the first bracket of the tournament. He must have trained for it, had he not? I wish I'd seen the moment where he'd incapacitated the Arab champion with elbow strikes.

But the more I think of my recommended strategy and it's penultimate success, I can't help but feel I've stumbled onto a special quality, a sort of enabler of strength. Previously, I simply used the definition of strength as power and frame, watching Hurek wrestle. But with this particular strike, I can't help but feel that the biggest enabler of a man's strength is technique. If "enablers" are a specific realm I've discovered, then it's entirely possible that other skills also have their own enablers."

- Cicero, Fighter Journal

***

Haza's aggression increased from 78 to 85

- mori socium Form -1

- chorus socium Mushin +2

Haza's strength increased from 75 to 79

- mori socium Resolve -1

- chorus socium Toughness +1

Haza’s Toughness increased 62 to 63

- chorus socium Strength +1

Overall Attack rating increased from 454 to 470

No apparent change to Defense rating

Arena Primarch Rank 20 to 18

***

Ghassan's Mushin increased from 52 to 60

- mori socium Resolve - 1

- chorus socium Reach +1

Ghassan’s toughness decreased from 55 to 54

Ghassan’s form has increased from 87 to 88

- mori socium aggression – 1

Overall Attack rating increased from 397 to 403

Overall Defense rating decreased slightly from 419 to 418

Arena Primarch Rank 18 to 19

***

"There was something in Atia’s energy tonic that affected Hurek’s aggression. I know it. What other explanation could there be for his sudden blood-thirst? Leading up to the final face ripping strike, Hurek had been failing to understand Shams’ feints and overall trickery. Hurek has improved his reflexes and even his physical resolve, but Shams’ mushin had definitely exposed Hurek’s lack of armor as a second line of defense. Perhaps I can convince him to wear some leather padding like Haza. What does he need the extra flexibility for if he is left exposed to high mushin warriors?

All in all, I am impressed by Hurek’s improvements. I would even give his Toughness a rise for the improved vitality. Of course, I have to keep in mind mori socium and chorus socium relationships. Baku might not have delved into this too much, but I can plainly see a co-dependency between my chosen skill table.”

- Cicero, Fighter Journal

***

Aggression increased from 56 to 60

- mori socium Form -1

- chorus socium Mushin +1

Reflexes increased from 75 to 78

Resolve increased from 87 to 88

- mori socium Mushin -1

Toughness increased from 80 to 81

- Conditional on Hurek’s post-fight recovery.

Arena Primarch Rank 19 to 17